OPEN GALLERY

Tel. (631) 754-0501

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ARTISTS

Sang-Hyun Chung

Ki-Taeg Kim

Dae Yeon Kim

Robert De Santis

Jeongik O

Sung Kuk Xon

Ronald Tinney

Carolyn Walton

Jeremy Pearse

Guil Lee

Heejung Kim

works review statement resume

WORKS


Hope 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"	Projection 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"

Salvation 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"	Punishment 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"

To Other World 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"	Encounter 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"

Trinity and a Criminal 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"	Into Chaos 2007 watercolor & ink on paper 14 x 9.5"

REVIEW

"Of Asian Nature, Spirit And the Garden State"
By Benjamin Genocchio

The New York Times, Section 14, Sunday, April 3, 2005, Arts & Entertainment, NJ section

Resonance: Five Asian Women Artists in New Jersey
March 2 - April 6, 2005
The Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University

“…Heejung Kim, makes wrapped sculptures that seem to take formal inspiration from Korean pojagi - square, patterned and occasionally embroidered cloths made and used by women to cover, store or carry things. Ms. Kim’s works are probably the most intriguing of all those here, for the contents of her wrapped sculptures are so unexpected.

Ms. Kim fills her pojagi-like cloths with oddball items, like tree branches, pink plastic babies, faux eggs and umbrellas wrapped in shiny fabric. Although Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and ceremonial mandalas are cited in the catalog as influences, these kooky wrap-ups remind you of surrealist tableaus, or early Christo. But they also have a nutty flair, as if the artist’s imagination has run a little too wild.”

"Look Closely, Now Focus: The Artist Books of Heejung Kim"
By Ed Hutchins

Artists’ Books Reviews, p. 2-3, 10, #25- Autumn/2006, AZ

It’s tempting to quickly look at a structurally interesting book and think, Oh, that’s a clever concept, and then move on to the next object. Viewers do this at their peril when approaching the detailed construction and imaginatively conceived books created by Heejung Kim. Broadly viewed, her work is eye-catching and engaging, but a closer inspection reveals details and craftwork that provide a wider appreciation and a series of ponderables.

As the name suggests, A Box of Pride (2005) is a black wooden book-like box decorated with a cascading constellation of 50 variegated stars. Does this suggest a close tie to the many varied States of the artist’s adopted county? Inside the box a crowd of amorphous clay figures mill about on both sides of the opening. A closer examination reveals that each figure is stamped with the word “me.” Are all these shapeless forms searching for identity? In attempting to close the box one discovers that a row of stiff wire prongs prevents the box from closing tightly. Do these pins allow unauthorized entry, or are they a fence to turn away the unwanted? Kim’s books contain many questions and few answers.

Kim was raised in Korea, came to the United States to further her art studies, and started making books in 1993. “I have been making handmade books for 16 years. I make books because life is so complicated. Everyone is opinionated. Instead of making prompt judgments, I try to meet with people and to work with them. This causes me to create books. You keep turning the pages of a book until you clearly understand the message that is contained at the end.” Kim currently lives in New Jersey where she makes her books and teaches painting at New Jersey City University.

Starting with Mind (1993) Kim poured her ideas, energy, creativity, and not many traditional bookmaking skills into a fantastic construction, wholly original and begging to be touched and explored. The pages are museum board covered with fabric and embellished with gesso, pigment, rice paper, collage, oil pastels, bits of texts, and imaginative shapes. They are held together with a self-taught and inventive raised-cord binding similar to Coptic bindings. Mind explores, one page at a time, the space between life and death, imagination and reality.

Gossip (2003) is a very personal statement. “I suffered from the gossip spread by a person whom I had known for a long time.” The book is constructed out of Korean sek-dong cloth and the pages are covered with hundreds of individually attached pins, velvety-soft to the eye, but don’t touch! “The pins explain exactly what I felt at that time. A pin is sharp and dangerous. I constantly felt pain and handled the emotional pain from the gossip by dealing with pins during the process of making the book. Instead of saying or writing ‘It hurts me’, the pin spoke clearly how I felt. The visual image sometimes speaks more clearly than language.”

A major influence on Kim is the Buddhist teachings that she acquired after settling in the United States. “Through my studies, I have realized that some central ideas of Buddhism support my understanding of life and making art.” The three books in the Graveyard Offering series were inspired by the Buddhist concept of the Mandela, or “map of the Universe.” It includes the palaces where Buddhas and bodhisattvas (enlightened beings) reside and the graveyard which symbolizes the mundane world in which we live. The books are wrapped in a traditional form of Korean costume called Han Bok that is reserved for special occasions. It is characterized by simple lines.

For Graveyard Offering III (2003) the covering fabric is richly decorated and a closer inspection reveals tiny circles divided into quarters, each a symbol for energy. By untying and opening the han-bok, a field of tiny babies spreads out below four irregularly shaped black objects. In fact, they are each three umbrellas (a symbol for Buddha) that are bound with scraps of fabric sewn together to tightly bind the umbrellas into a solid object. Up close, the hundreds of babies sewn to the han-bok are actually four groups divided by markings to indicate different characteristics of Buddha, fire (perception), earth (sensation), water (body), and air (volatility). Just as humanity has many needs and characteristics, so the different aspects of Buddha are keeping watch.

“The shapes of my sculptures look organic, but I don’t intend to make them look specifically a certain way. Although I can mostly predict the final form of the sculpture by controlling the sewing process, sometimes the final form comes out totally unexpected. When it happens, I am amazed that the sculpture is alive and takes shape by itself. When you create a sculpture, you see the shape of the sculpture as well as the shape of the encompassed space. Both need to be beautiful.”

In Buddhism, karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing, and will do. “My inner world is related to my Karma that is described by the images, dealing with emotions from personal memories, intuition, and imagination. I am inspired by a quote from one of the Tibetan Buddhist Sutras, Hevajra Tantra, ‘When I called, sesame seed-sized Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings) appeared and filled in the space.’”

Karma (2005) is bound with long lengths of thread to simulate long hair. Tightly meshed wooden fingers that tightly fit together pull away from each other as the covers of the book are opened. It took two months to carve hundreds of wooden chopsticks into the shaped dowels that constitute the contents. The covers are hinged in two places so that the book can open to several configurations. An Arizona Sunday school teacher once told his class, “There is no spot where God is not.” One child replied, “Even between my teeth?” In Karma, the tightly interlocking dowels represent the omnipresent bliss of enlightenment that fills all space, even between teeth.

Once the viewer reaches out to pick up a book and turn the pages, the intimate stories contained in the book are revealed. This is the way people understand the world according to Kim. “Everything seems ambiguous in the beginning, but the whole picture eventually becomes clear through its progression. It is my way to reach out to the world and to communicate with people though my works of art.”

Watch closely, now focus. In Heejung Kim’s books you will discover towering books of infinite detail.

STATEMENT

I have been producing handmade books since 1991. Many people have asked me how and why I started to make artist books. One of the reasons is memory from my childhood. My father is a music composer. I had watched that my father always wrote music scores and bound them. At that time, there was no copy machine in Korea so my father had to write each score for each instrument. I often helped him to bind the scores and sometimes I made my own notebooks. Another reason is that there have been many different forms of books produced in Ancient Asia: sliced bamboo connected together, bound paper, scroll, and prayer wheel in Buddhism and so forth. I grew up under Asian tradition and probably these diversities of book formats in Asia would have greatly affected to my making art books.

The subject of the books is mostly related to the world that is not visible or tangible but it’s existence is believed by people: the world between the alive and the dead. For this reason, my works contain the images from the surreal, dream, imagination and religion, especially Buddhism.

The process of making book is involved with repetition of the same movement. Similar to Buddhist monks who meditate upon Emptiness, sitting on the same spot and facing the wall for days, months, or years, I repeat the same movement, mostly sewing, for hours and hours in order to complete my books. While doing so, my mind becomes Empty, losing track of time, and eventually, the repetition of the same movement is transfigured as one of the methods for meditation.

While having been making artist books for 17 years, the forms of my handmade books have been changed. The earliest books showed more traditional book-format that we are familiar with: many pages binding together. Each page is two-dimensional and mostly contains drawn and painted images. Later the forms of the books have been developed from two-dimensional, relief, to three-dimensional types: box shaped books, wrapped sculpture forms using diverse materials, such as paper, wood panel, fabric, and all mixed media. The recent works look more like installation: expended wall-size book. So far, I have produced 40 artist books. Each takes 2-6 months to complete. Many books take labor-intensive jobs.

The fascinate effect of book art is that the book-format works don’t reveal everything at once. Once the viewer gets closer to the works, and reaches out his/her hands to turn the pages, he/she will experience the intimate stories they contain. This is the way people understand the world. Everything seems ambiguous in the beginning, but the whole picture eventually becomes clear through its progression. It is my way to reach out to the world and to communicate with people though my works of art.

RESUME

Education
1994 MFA, State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY
1991 MA in Art Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
1989 MFA course in Painting, Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
1987 BFA, Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul Korea
2001 Courses finished of MA in Art History, The City College, CUNY, NY, NY

Area(s) of Specialization: Artist Book, Painting, Drawing

Professional Experience (Teaching Experience, or Academic Appointments)
00-08 Adjunct Professor, Intro to Making Artist Books, Principles of Painting / 2-D design, New Jersey City University, NJ
03-08 Instructor, Watercolor / Gouache / Oil Painting, The Cultural center, The Korea Central Daily News, NJ
2001 Professor, Art Fundamentals / Oil Painting / History of the 20th Century Art, Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
97-06 Instructor, Children’s Art Program, The Bronx School of Music and Arts, Bronx, NY
94-95 Instructor, Watercolor / Drawing, Union Craft Center, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY

Grants/Fellowships (Awards/Honors)
1999 Chung-Am Fellowship, Seoul, Korea
1995 Artist Grant, Hoelim Apparel Co. Ltd., Seoul, Korea
92-93 Goldberger Fellowship, State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY
1990 Honor Society of Delta Kappa, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
1990 Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
89-91 Woon-Hyun Fellowship, Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
1887 Prize for Academic Excellence, Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea

Exhibition Record
Solo/Two Person Exhibitions
2007 “The World Between: Sculptural Books,” Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University, NJ
2006 “Eyes,” Space World, Long Island City, NY, NY
2005 Two Person Exhibition, Heidi Cho Gallery, Chelsea, NY, NY
2003 “Graveyard Offerings,” David Allen Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
1998 Stephen Gang Gallery, Chelsea, NY, NY
1997 Kougeas Gallery & Marshall/Reade Fine Art, E. Boston, MA
1996 Two Person Exhibition, Kougeas Gallery, E. Boston, MA
1995 Two Person Exhibition, 479 Gallery Inc., NY, NY
1994 MFA Solo Exhibition, Library Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
1991 Library Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
1991 Coalition Gallery, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
1990 Levis Faculty Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL

Group Exhibitions
2008
“Fourteen Hands: Closter Art Studio Inaugural Exhibition,” CAS Gallery, Closter, NJ
2007
“The Open Book,” The Gallery Oms, Fort Lee, NJ
“KoreaNOW,” Hutchins Gallery, C.W.Post Long Island University, NY
“Nakedness,” Broadway Gallery, Manhattan, NY
“The Nature of Duality,” The Brennan Gallery, Justice William Brennan Court House, NJ
“Five Corners,” Sanmaroo Gallery, NJ
“Open Doors ’07,” 744 Gallery, National Newark Building, Newark, NJ
“Between Memory and Reality,” Korea Daily Cultural Center Gallery, NJ
2006
“Korean-American Contemporary Art in Perth Amboy,” Perth Amboy Gallery Center for the Arts, NJ
“Telling the Story: Artists’ Books,” The Noyes Museum, NJ
“Reborn,” Gallery CPS, Manhattan, NY
“The Seventh National Juried Show,” Ceres Gallery, Chelsea, Manhattan, NY
“Beyond Boundaries,” East-Here Group exhibition, Hun Gallery, Manhattan, NY
“ACT II,” Multimedia center, Palisades Park public library, NJ
“Winter Invitational,” The Gallery Oms, Fort Lee, NJ
2005
“Identity,” AAWAA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
“Celebrating Women and the Arts: Struggles and Triumphs,” NGO Committee on the Status of Women, Mission of Armenia, NY, NY
“Here Between,” AAWAA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
“Look and See,” Gallery CPS, NY, NY
“Tunnels and Bridges,” Ceres Gallery, Chelsea, NY, NY
“Art Faculty Biennial Exhibition,” Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University, NJ
2004
“To Die For,” Heidi Cho Gallery, NY, NY
“Art Faculty Biennial Exhibition,” Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University, NJ
“Wish You Were Here III,” A.I.R. Gallery, NY, NY
“Taking Hands,” organized by AAWAA, A.I.R. Gallery, NY, NY
“Composition in Hi-Fi,” David Allen Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2003
“100 Years, 100 Dreams,” Space World, Long Island City, NY
“Wish You Were Here Too!” A.I.R. Gallery, NY, NY
“Food For Thought,” Sumei Multidisciplinary Arts Center, NJ
“AAAC STORY,” Asian American Arts Centre, NY, NY
“Artcetera,” Art Auction - Benefit AIDS action committee, Boston, MA
1999
“The Impact of Millennium,” Space World, Long Island City, NY
“Four Women,” Sumei Multidisciplinary Arts Center, NJ
“Constellations and Crustaceans,” Roy G. BIV Gallery, OH
Alumni Art Exhibition, University Art Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
1997
“Inner Light,” Cleveland State University Art Gallery, Cleveland, OH
“Invitational: A Survey of Book Art,” Delaware Arts Center Gallery, NY
“Text and Identity,” University Art Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
“Contemporary Asian Artists in America,” Smithtown Township Arts Council, NY
1996
“Passion & Compassion,” Asian American Arts Centre, NY, NY
“Six Artists’ Exhibition,” Kougeas Gallery, E. Boston, MA
“Our Deities,” ISE Art Foundation, NY, NY
“Winter Invitational,” Kougeas Gallery, E. Boston, MA
1995
Alumni Exhibition, The Union Art Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
1994
The M.F.A. Show, University Art Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
MFA Exhibition, The Art Galley, Hunter College, NY, NY
“Asian Arts Festival,” The Union Art Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
1992
“Brave New World for Women Artists,” The Union Art Gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
1989
Emerging Artists’ Exhibition, Koan-Hun Gallery, Seoul, Korea
“Dasut,” Chung-Nam Gallery, Seoul, Korea
1988
“Dasut,” Total Gallery, Seoul, Korea
“F-303,” Kyung-In Gallery, Seoul, Korea
1987
Emerging Artists’ Exhibition, Chung-Yeon Gallery, Seoul, Korea
“Dasut,” Batangol Gallery, Seoul, Korea

Public Art

2006
“The Magic Flute,” Art director, Cultural Art Center, Kun-po, Korea
“Winter Invitational,” Renaissance Office Center, Englewood, NJ

2003
“The Magic Flute,” Art director, Flushing Town Hall, Flushing, NY

2001
The Staller Center Gala, Staller Center, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY

1994
“Dream,” Directed performance, Calderone Theater, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
“Where’s Mammy?” Participated in performance, Parish Museum, S. Hampton, NY
“Rein Is To Laugh,” Participated in performance, Museum of Modern Art, NY, NY

Bibliography (Reviews/Articles/Catalogues, Reviews/Articles/Interviews)
2006 “Look Closely, Now Focus:The Artist’s Books of Heejung Kim,” Artists’ Books Reviews, p. 2-3, 10, #25- Autumn/2006, AZ
2005 “Of Asian Nature, Spirit And the Garden State,” The New York Times, section 14, New Jersey, Sunday, 4/3/05, NY
2003 “Korean-American: Artist Dream,” NY ARTS, p.52, Summer/2003, NY, NY
“Earnest ‘Flute’ played at Flushing Town Hall,” TIMESledger.com, 8/14/03, NY
1997 “In Their Sights,” ARTnews, p.99, March, NY, NY
1996 “Heejung Kim,” Modern Buddhism Magazine, p. 55, February, NY, NY
1995 “Visual Record of Experience,” The Segye Times, p.5, 05/17/95, NY, NY
1994 “Staller Center,” Stateman, p. 9, 02/07/94, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
1992 “Objects of Visual Power and Beauty,” Graduate Student News & Views, p. 7, 10/20/92, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY

Publications (Published Writings, Critical Writings)
2000 “Recent Models and Freaks,” Http://web.gsuc.cuny.edu/dsc/freaks.html, NY, NY
1998 “Boundary: Liberty and Equality on Everybody’s Face,” New Observations, pp.10-11, Volume 117, NY, NY

Visiting Artist Lectures (Lectures/Workshops/Critiques, Guest Lectures)
2005 Artist talk, “Resonance,” Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University, NJ
Panelist, “Tunnels and Bridges,” Ceres Gallery, Chelsea, NY, NY
2003 Lecturer/ Critiques, “Food For Thought,” Sumei Multidisciplinary Arts Center, NJ
1998 Guest speaker, Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
1997 Guest speaker, Persons School of Design, NY, NY

Gallery Representation (Gallery Affiliation)
02-03 Education / Program manager, Asian American Arts Centre, NY, NY
94-96 Exhibition manager, Asian American Arts Centre, NY, NY
94 Assistant, Registration dept., Museums at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY

Professional Service (Service)
2004- Board of Director, Asian American Women Artists Alliance, Brooklyn, NY
2005- Board of Director, EAST-HERE, NY/NJ

Professional Organizations (Professional Affiliations)
2003- Art Director, Asian American Opera Society, Bronx, NY
2004- Asian American Women Artists Alliance, Brooklyn, NY
2005- EAST-HERE, Asian American Artists Group, NY/NJ

Exhibitions Curated
2006
“Winter Invitational,” The Gallery Oms, Fort Lee, NJ
“Oneness,” The Gallery Oms, Fort Lee, NJ
2005
“Identity,” AAWAA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
“Here Between,” AAWAA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
“Tunnels and Bridges,” Ceres Gallery, Chelsea, NY, NY

Collections
2006 Ki Kim
2003 Asian American Arts Centre, NYC
1994 Pamela Sienna

Commissions
2003 Props and stage set for “The Magic Flute,” Flushing Town Hall, Flushing, NY

Website
www.heejungkim-art.com, www.bravoeai.com, www.Heidichogallery.com, www.east-here.net

References
Howardena Pindell, Professor, Art Department, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
Rhonda Cooper, Art Director, University art gallery, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
Ben Jones, Professor, Art Department, NJCU, NJ